Diners would pay more for British food

Half of UK diners would be willing to pay more for food with British provenance, new research from purchasing company Beacon has revealed.

Its survey of 2,000 people revealed that a quarter would be willing to pay up to 25% more for home-grown produce.

In fact, 'Made in Britain' was voted the most popular dining trend in a survey of 2,000 respondents, beating plant-based eating and Latin American influence.

Beacon said British producers could be reaping the benefits because prices are rising for imported foods and drinks that are popular at Christmas.

Beacon also revealed that wine lovers are likely to see price increases this Christmas from producers in Australia, New Zealand, France, US, Chile and Argentina, who have all been impacted by lower yields or consecutive years of poorer harvests.

It added that seasonal produce was also being impacted with avian flu outbreaks preventing breeding of turkeys and stock supplies being depleted as a result.

Salmon was also likely to see a higher price increases than normal at this time of year due to a strong Norwegian krone and the weaker purchasing power of the pound.

Beacon managing director Paul Connelly said that there was a trend of “British patriotism” among diners with a preference to buy closer to home.

“When looking at the current market, we predict many outlets opting to put British food and drink on the menu this Christmas, to minimise import costs and tap into the Made in Britain trend that diners are signalling they would pay extra for,” he said.

“The post-Brexit trend towards British produce comes alongside the announcement that Brits are happier since the Brexit vote, following data on personal wellbeing revealed by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS), highlighting a post Brexit 'glow'.”

Recent ONS stats revealed that the UK’s life satisfaction ratings had improved since voting to leave the EU last year.